“Egypt’s Jon Stewart” is being prosecuted for poking fun at leaked comments by the Defence Minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, suggesting that the General would “find partners in the local media willing to collaborate to polish the image of the military.”

First sentenced in 2011 to life in prison for purportedly criticizing the emir in his poem “Tunisian Jasmine”, Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami had his reduced 15-year prison sentence upheld by the Court of Cassation in appeal this October.

Recently, racism and religious violence between Buddhists and Muslims have rippled through Burma. The crisis has spilled over to Facebook, where rumors and a widely shared video attacking Aung San Suu Kyi’s supposed support for Burmese Muslims have drastically turned public opinion against her and her party.

Pakistan’s move to ban access to the gay social networking website Queerpk reflects the conservative society’s inability to accept a “larger world view”, activists say. Keeping with Pakistan’s internet censorship policies, some say the ban is aimed at curbing alternate and progressive discourse.

A new report — “The Long Shadow of Chinese Censorship: How Chinese Media Restrictions Affect News Outlets around the World” — finds that Chinese officials have directly impeded independent reporting by media based abroad.

A collection of photojournalism depicting the everyday lives of Belarusians has led the Belarus Government to withdraw the publishing license of the largest non-state publishing house, Łohvinaŭ. The International Publishers Association is calling on Belarus to revoke the decision and protect the freedom to publish.

Independent Chinese PEN Center president Tienchi Martin-Liao discusses the importance of the Tiananmen Square Massacre twenty-four years later, why China should not wait for a savior, and her work with imprisoned writer Liu Xiaobo.

On the “Thirty Questions for the Cuban Government,” a statement issued by Cuban religious leaders last month in Washington D.C. that asks that the Cuban government address longstanding grievances and ongoing religious repression of religious leaders and activists.

On the “Thirty Questions for the Cuban Government,” a statement issued by Cuban religious leaders last month in Washington D.C. that asks the Cuban government to address longstanding grievances and ongoing religious repression of religious leaders and activists.

Tienchi Martin-Liao chronicles the events surrounding the detention of 16-year-old Chinese netizen Yang Hui, who faces a possible charge of “inciting trouble” under a newly amended law aimed at stifling free speech on the internet.

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About Sampsonia Way

Sampsonia Way is an online magazine sponsored by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh that seeks to protect and advocate for writers who may be endangered, to educate the public about threats to writers and literary expression, and to create a community in which endangered writers thrive and literary culture is a valued part of life.